-Doctor! Is there something wrong with the patient! Doctor!
A situation he had only seen on TV was happening in front of him and he found it hard to get used to the noisy atmosphere of the hall. Then, Dowook made eye contact with the nurse managing the ICU.
They were as bewildered as him.
‘Let’s take care of this noise first.’
What the reporters were asking about was the situation of the patient the Internet considered a hero. He was also here to check on that patient.
Dowook pushed his head out of the glass door.
“I will come out after checking on the vitals of Yoo Sang-Il, so if you have any questions, please wait in the ICU’s visiting room. Please be quiet. If you make noise here, we have no choice but to call on security.”
As soon as he made the threat, the voices of the reporters were drastically reduced.
Dowook quickly moved to the critical care area.
However, he had to stop after taking a few steps. Because the person waiting in front of the hospital room was very unexpected.
“Vice-dean?”
“Dr. Park Dowook. I was waiting for you.”
The Vice-dean Bae Ji-man welcomed Dowook.
Since the chart that should have been placed at the entrance of the aseptic treatment room was in the hands of the vice dean, Dowook stood beside him and braced himself.
“When I asked Chief Ji, he told me you were his attending physician.”
Since the vice dean had a solemn expression, even something unimportant seemed like a big deal. Dowook cleared his head and answered.
“I took part in the emergency surgery. Since I was there for the whole long-term conservation treatment process, I am only in charge temporarily. When the 2nd round of surgery is coordinated, it will be passed on to another senior.”
“Chief Ji said something different, though. He said he thought you would be best for the job so I shouldn’t get involved.”
“Huh?”
Dowook was surprised but tried to stop it from showing on his face.
“As long as it is a patient the media is paying attention to, I can’t not get involved. Please understand.”
The vice-dean opened the chart and read the information carefully.
“You took good care of the head. You don’t have to touch it again. Choi Hoo operated on it, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Hmm. The problem is the damage to the organs around the kidneys, which were exposed during the emergency treatment. It would be unreasonable to achieve a complete restoration even with the 2nd round of surgeries.”
The vice dean looked at Dowook and asked.
“Was he in such a bad condition that you had to have a kidney removed?”
“The kidney itself was maintaining minimal function. However, the problem was that the other organs were being overworked to prevent the deterioration of kidney function.”
Words could not express how dire the situation was at the time wherein you had to lose what you had to and give what should be given.
“It was a judgment on the spot. The blood vessel damage in the junior membrane must have been severe, how did you catch this?”
“Ummm……”
He had thought he was safe when a question came right away.
“The cardiovascular vessels were completely sutured, but the abdominal vessels were only temporarily sutured. What was the basis for this judgment?”
“As brain surgery was happening at the same time, we had to focus on the brain and heart. We relied on the active recovery for the abdomen.”
The level of questions posed by the vice dean was different from those Chief Ji was pressuring the residents to answer in the video room earlier.
Each one was related to a judgment that could lead to a fatal condition for the patient.
Dowook was able to continue answering as the memory of the day he stood as an assistant came to his fingers before his head.
‘Thank God I want to receive Chief Ji’s sense.’
As they continued to ask and answer questions, the vital monitor inside the aseptic room rang in a warning.
The vice dean and Dowook’s eyes turned to the patient at the same time.
Contrary to the surprised vice-dean, Dowook calmly looked at the patient’s breathing rate and partial pressure of carbon dioxide, then he spoke.
“It is temporary. He is unconscious, but he seems to have convulsed in pain.”
“His blood pressure fell that much, but you’re telling me it’s temporary?”
Seeing the nurse in charge of the ICU about to run over, Dowook signaled that it wasn’t needed. Then he answered the vice dean.
“Yes, it’s temporary. Right now, it would only make it worse if we opened that door and went in to provide treatment.”
Beep.
The moment Dowook finished his sentence, the low blood pressure went back to normal.
The vice dean stared at the patient returning to stability in slight surprise.
“Your opinion is correct. There was almost no change in the breathing rate.”
The vice dean’s gaze became softer as he looked at Dowook and a slight smile appeared on his solemn face.
“I came down on a needless worry. There’s nothing I can criticize. You have a great eye for taking care of patients.”
The vice dean handed Dowook the chart as if in recognition of his skills.
“Thank you.”
Because it was praise from a senior doctor who had built his reputation based on organ transplant, Dowook became embarrassed. He would have to make this up to Chief Ji somehow.
“I think it’s only right for you to continue as the attending physician. Make sure to mention that to the reporters as well.”
“At Hansung Hospital, the dean was interviewed as a representative for the same group of patients. It would be better for the vice dean to talk to the reporters…..”
“This is a matter of people dying or living. It’s not important whose mouth the news comes from. I believe you can do a good job. You have done great until now as well.”
When the vice dean patted him on the shoulder in encouragement, on the contrary, Dowook only felt pressured.
“Continue to work hard, Dr. Park.”
Dowook bowed at a 90° angle toward the departing vice dean.
Nowadays, he seemed to see the vice dean a lot when it used to be hard to see him once a year.
Every time there was a problem, he seemed to take on a burdensome task. Establishing a spot for himself in the hospital as he began his fellowship was not an easy task.
‘Talk to the reporters, me?’
A matter of life and death.
It was something obvious. It should be fine to take care of things as a doctor.
In the visiting room, dozens of reporters gathered and talked as they waited for Dowook to bring news.
“About that attending physician from a while ago. Isn’t he too young? Aren’t ICU patients like this one usually taken care of by more experienced professors?”
“Myeong Sae Hospital’s rating isn’t very good nowadays. It’s hard for a professor to come out so they sent him as a shield.”
“So he gets blamed if something goes wrong with the patient? That’s a pretty reasonable doubt, Mr. Yoon.”
Soon, Dowook walked into the waiting room.
Standing in front of the reception desk, Dowook looked at the reporters in the room and spoke.
“It is not yet possible to say that Mr. Yoo Sang-Il’s condition is definitely better at this time. Only the head fracture surgery was completed, and in the case of multiple organ damage, at least 4 departments must collaborate to proceed with the second round of surgeries.”
“Are you saying it is unsure if the patient will be able to wake up?”
“No, the patient is being kept unconscious on purpose as he is in too much pain. Becoming conscious can only be said for certain after the second round of surgeries.”
The questions and answers about the patient’s condition continued for a long time.
Reporter Yoon Jinhyo from News Seoul, who was sitting at the back, looked at Dowook being interviewed without problems, and then down at his phone.
[It’s not as interesting as we thought. The interview’s pretty dull, too. Even if we uploaded an article, I don’t think it’s going to spread that much.]
[Still, it’s top 1 on the search list. You never know when it will become an issue, so if you want to make a hit, you have to do it clearly. What did the doctor say about the patient’s condition?]
Reporter Yoon held up the notepad where he wrote down Dowook’s words. Then he quickly sent a message.
Vrrrr.
[Tsk tsk. It wouldn’t be unusual if the patient died right away. Try to ask him this. Exploratory laparotomy…..]
Raising his hand, Reporter Yoon got the chance to ask a question.
“You said that you removed the hematoma on the small intestine by exploratory laparotomy, but the perforated area was left covered. Have you not considered complications such as short bowel syndrome and sepsis? Wouldn’t these problems cause a patient to die?”
When asked a detailed and professional question, Dowook’s face seemed confused. It was a reaction that convinced the reporter that this was set up to save face.
Dowook asked Reporter Yoon who had a convincing smile on his face.
“Why are you asking that?”
“What do you mean? I was curious about the treatment mentioned by the doctor.”
At the moment the reporter felt confident that he had properly highlighted the clumsiness of a young doctor.
Dowook stared right at Reporter Yoon.
“Is this the first time you are covering hospital news?”
“What……”
“It’s because you asked a question to someone who doesn’t know the concept of severe emergency treatment but has watched some emergency-related drama and pretending to know things would ask.”
Some reporters covered their mouths and laughed at the unexpected answer. Reporter Yoon’s face felt hot as he shouted.
“What do you mean pretending? Don’t change the subject and answer the question.”
“The thing is. There is one reason the car crash patient is still alive. It was because we took the necessary measures at the time, even at the risk of dangerous complications. Short bowel syndrome and sepsis? If it were you, would you choose to live even when you catch the flu? Or would you rather die doing nothing because you are afraid of the flu?”
Reporter Yoon’s head disappeared among the reporters at Dowook’s metaphor which caused everyone to become silent. He sent a message and got a reply right away.
[You said it’s a young doctor from neurosurgery? How does he know how to deal with severe trauma so well?]
[I don’t know.]
[He might have been prepared. Ask him this.]
Reporter Yoon looked at the message and raised his hand.
“Yes, ask please.”
“You said that the lower vena cava was closed without sutures, but haven’t you been unable to have the second surgery because of massive bleeding that occurred? Isn’t this a radical excuse not to perform surgery, a misjudgment?”
“Oh, this is good criticism.”
At the compliment that came out of nowhere, Reporter Yoon made a ‘what?’ expression. And Dowook answered the question at that moment.
“If the patient had come in with only abdominal damage, you’d be right. However, he also had a severe skull fracture. Chest and abdomen damage were controlled. The head is completely restored. This was the answer of the hospital and the patient is still alive. That was a better question than before. Next.”
Dowook had avoided two criticisms sent by the dean of Hansung Hospital, who used to be a renowned surgeon. Reporter Yoon was a little shocked and reported the situation via text.
[Did they send him because he’s skilled and not to cover up? He’s making me want to win. Ask him this. When approaching the abdominal organs, horizontal intestines…..]
Reporter Yoon raised his hand.
“Doctor. When you approach the abdominal organs, the perforation in the horizontal intestine….”
“Just a minute. It’s not horizontal but the mesocolon. Like this, it’s in a curved~ part of the intestine.”
“…….”
“It seems you studied really hard. I can’t keep teaching you. This is a hospital, not a school. Then, next person.”
The dean of Hansung Hospital seemed to be in a hurry that he made a typo. Reporter Yoon couldn’t say a word at the moment.
[……what?]
[I’m sorry.]
[How many times have you covered hospital news? You can’t even recognize this much?]
The dean of Hansung Hospital, who caused others to suspect his professionalism, got angry, but Reporter Yoon held back.
[That young doctor seems to be a master. This isn’t how we should go about this. Turn the subject to something else. Turn the bus driver’s news to the student’s side. They won’t be able to let everyone take the CSAT over there.]
After an appropriate amount of time, Reporter Yoon raised his hand.
“How are the 6 students sent to Myeong Sae Hospital due to the same accident? Is it possible for them to take the CSAT like those at Hansung Hospital?”
“That’s….”
Sure that an answer would not come, Reporter Yoon continued to ask more questions.
“They were on the same bus, but some can take the test while others can’t. Wouldn’t that be unfair to the students?”
“I was also in the emergency room at the time of the accident. All the students were suffering from terrible trauma. I’m not sure whether they can take the CSAT is more important than the scars they would have to carry for the rest of their lives due to the accident.”
“You’re right but isn’t it still true that only the students sent to Myeong Sae Hospital won’t be able to take the test?”
As they moved onto a more provocative issue, the eyes of the other reporters who had been quietly recording, changed.
“Doctor! What is the condition of the 6 students?”
“Are those students unconscious?”
“Doctor!”
Reporter Yoon said, “Got it!” in a low voice.
After many attempts, he finally managed to baffle the young doctor.
